Total Solar Eclipse on 9 March 2016

At around 9.45am Indonesian time this morning, we witnessed the 2016 total solar eclipse on board the Le Soleal off the coast of Sulawesi. The condition was perfect for the 3 minutes of darkness, and once again a hauntingly beautiful experience to inspire us to plan for the next!

All kinds of viewing aids from high tech telescopes to home-made filters.

Another view of eclipse viewers.

The sun blocked by the moon, with just a crescent visible. (through a Mylar filter)

Sun's ray through the back of a wicker chair cast crescents onto the deck floor.

Close to totality, the "diamond ring" appeared for several seconds. Note red prominence on sun's surface.

The sun at totality.

Tuesday March 8th. Ternate

We have left Ternate on our way to our eclipse position tomorrow. The last news we got was that we are going to a different position for the eclipse – a position that is less likely to have cloud but where the eclipse will be 2 seconds shorter. Must ask for a refund!

First I must say that the weather is not to be underestimated. Here, and in Naera it is hot and humid. I perspire at the drop of a hat so you can imagine. The good news is that both these places are volcanic and apparently that means mozzies are not a problem so it has been good not to have that to worry abut. I am told mozzies come later!

Having said that, Ternate (and Naira) have been wonderful experiences. There are few tourists. We have had such a warm welcome. The big ships cannot get here, and there appears to be so little tourist infrastructure. We were brought back to the ship for lunch. The transport for our tour was a mix of buses and cars. The majority of the buses were police buses – hired for the day. The air-conditioning starts at 80kph so long as the windows are down. The local people came down to the wharf to check us out and wave and to have photos taken with us! Now we know how locals feel when we want to take photos of them. Departure was also lots of locals waving us off with music, singing, waving etc. This must be what celebrities feel like!

We saw the sultan's palace. He died last year and they are organising the next one. Not direct inheritance as in many royal families (he didn't have a son apparently) but they have to find a suitable relative. Not a bad idea actually – some protection against unsuitable heirs!

They provided a morning tea with no end of cakes, some similar to the Malay cakes in Singapore. I ate everyone of them, so if I have diarrhoea, we won't know which one to blame. Maybe it was a change from french cuisine!

Eclipse tomorrow. 

Hopeful piccies below - a fort and farewell from Ternate.

Tuesday - Ternate

Arrived Ternate this morning.  Quite a big place (100,000 + population) but not on the usual tourist trail. But more people here now because of eclipse tomorrow.  We are also the tourist attraction - locals come out to see us and we to see them.  Someone took a photo of us on our balcony!

Pic just not downloading - will try again tonight.

Monday

Monday 7^th March

Getting adventurous updating blog and attempt at piccies.

Today is a day at sea. There was a crossing the equator ceremony. We didn't attend as we were advised to wear swimsuits – but we could have been tempted if they had put ice down our backs as on Hurtigruten crossing the Arctic Circle!

There was a 'rehearsal” for the eclipse in terms of choosing a spot on the boat and you could see just where the sun would be on eclipse day. It is 45 degrees, at 9:48am, so a good time and angle.

Tomorrow we go onshore at Ternate – anther island in the Indonesian archipelago. Indonesia is such a diverse country – so many islands and cultures that you wonder how it ever got to be the one country!

We have come to appreciate the food – it is very elegantly presented, even for the buffet. There are little glasses of mousse, or crème brulee with fois gras! Will take a pic later.

Today's attempts at piccies below are KM at Bandar Naira, a colonial building at Bandar Naira, a fort with the ship in the distance, and a sunset photo with the island of Rhun on the left. The story is told that the English (who got Rhun) did a swap with the Dutch (who got New Amsterdam now known as New York). Such was the lure of spices! KM says colonial squabbles at the expense of the locals.

Saturday/Sunday

Saturday:

We boarded Le Soleal on Friday (4^th) afternoon. Today (Saturday) has been a packed programme of lectures, tomorrow we go onshore at Bandar Neira, a small but historically significant island in Indonesia.

The ship is small – 200 passengers. It is new and furnishing and colour schemes are modern. It is a french ship, so french champagne and wines not to mention french desserts are mandatory. There isn't a buffet available all the time as in most cruise ships. If you are hungry between meals, there is room service, which is a full-on meal menu! Nothing fast-food about the french. It took me a day to discover that you can phone through and ask for cakes and biscuits.

The expedition team are all Australians! They cover outings, lectures on botany, marine life, excursions etc. So enough Aussie humour to go around – I wonder if the others catch all the slang.

There have been quite a few familiar faces on this trip and it has been lovely to catch up with people we have met on previous eclipse trips with Travel Quest. An unexpected bonus.

The sea has been very smooth – none of the rough seas we got in Norway – so far. Internet though is as bad as ever on board. However I will type this up and “copy & paste” when we get some connection. And digital photography has finally caught up with cruise ships – photos are taken and you go to a computer to view and choose them. None of the wasteful printing and displaying that we have seen on other cruises.

Sunday:

We went ashore at Banda Neira. A delightful small town – we could hear the cocks crowing as we sailed into the harbour. There was a welcome ceremony and a walking tour. It was HOT and HUMID!! We were warned. But I did pike out and came back early to the ship. I discovered that water alone is not enough – sugar needed as well!

Piccies to be posted when we get to decent wifi – I know when I am beat!

At last on the Ponant Le Soleal

Boarded!

Japanese graves at Darwin cemetery

We came across a cemetery right next to our hotel. It shows the multicultural history of Darwin with Greeks, Chinese and Japanese among them.

About to board the boat. Sending this by email. Further posts depend on wifi! Watch this space... Will try to attach piccy of ship. Kay

More Darwin tourism.....

The temperature was much more pleasant this evening, so went for a walk. Below is an iconic Darwin building - the Parliament House.  Darwin reminds me of Canberra with different climate.  Who wants to be a state when the Feds pay for everything?

There is some interesting history here - an aviation museum and a fellow who does tours of the wartime sites including the bombing in WW2. But we won't have time to explore these, nor the inclination given the weather. 

But they have some good food.....

Touristy Darwin

We got to the airport and everything worked well.  We noted that we were flying half-way to Singapore.  At Darwin, the heat hit us even before we had left the plane.  After all, we are here in early March because there is an eclipse on, not because it is the right season to come to Darwin.
We have been accommodated at Sky City - a casino/hotel complex. Tonight, when it drops to 30 degrees, we will catch a cab to town and walk around the main street.

But there are some beautiful tropical scenes, but no people!   Just outside our hotel.

KM walking along the path next to the beach, outside our hotel.

And our hotel.